EUROFOCUS
cybersecurityeurope
HOLLAND The Low Countries are on high alert as the Dutch seek to make the Netherlands Europe’s cyber-securest country for business.
THE NETHERLANDS, LIKE OTHER NATIONS IN EUROPE, IS CONFRONTED BY TWO ESTIMABLE CYBER SECURITY CHALLENGES. One of these is well known: how to protect its citizens, society and economy from harm posed by cyber criminals, state-sponsored agents, and other malevolent online threats. The second challenge is to make its financial environments secure for the safe conduct of the trade and investment its economy needs. As Europe’s economies rely increasingly on investment from around the world to fund economic growth and sustainability, concern grows that venture capitalists from outside the continent will be deterred from economies beset by cyber threats. Or, to put it another way, they are more likely to invest in economies known to be digitally protected places for business venture. Furthermore, the Netherlands itself is a vibrant digital consumer market. By 2017 the Netherlands had an internet penetration rate of 98% (against a European average of 87%), according to Statistics Netherlands-CBS. Additionally, the Netherlands is a frontrunner in online banking with more than 80% uptake, and its citizens and businesses represent Europe’s fourth largest ecommerce market. Despite its comparatively modest size and population, as the country becomes more connected and its economic future becomes more digitally-dependent, it must also address cyber security and become a ‘safe place to do business’. FACTS
AMSTERDAM INTERNET EXCHANGE The Netherlands saw the strategic value in positioning itself as the Internet gateway to the European continent and its markets. The Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX) was established in 1994 as a not-for-profit,
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neutral, and independent peering organisation, now interconnects with more than 800+ communication networks: Internet Service Providers,
